The present invention relates to an ink cartridge attachment/detachment device that slides an ink cartridge horizontally to load it into the main body of a recording apparatus, and a recording apparatus comprising this attachment/detachment device. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejection apparatus, such as an ink jet recording apparatus, that discharges (ejects) a liquid, such as ink, from a recording head and records on (attaches the liquid to) recording material (an ejected liquid target material), and a liquid cartridge attachment/detachment device provided for the liquid ejection apparatus. The present invention further relates to a liquid container (liquid cartridge) including an ink cartridge.
In this case; such a liquid ejection apparatus includes not only a recording apparatus, such as a printer, a copier or a facsimile machine, that employs an ink jet recording head and that, by ejecting ink, records images on a recording material, but also an apparatus wherein, instead of ink, a liquid consonant with an intended purpose is ejected by a liquid ejection head, which corresponds to the recording head, onto an ejected liquid target material, which corresponds to recording material, and the liquid is attached to the ejected liquid target material.
In addition to the recording head, the liquid ejection head can be a color material ejection head used for manufacturing a color filter for a liquid crystal display, an electrode material (conductive paste) ejection head used for forming an electrode for an organic EL display or a plane light-emitting display (FED), a bio-organic ejection head used for bio-chip manufacturing, or a sample ejection head used as a precision pipette.
An explanation will now be given for an ink jet printer as an example ink jet recording apparatus or an example liquid ejection apparatus. A comparatively large pressing force is required to load an ink cartridge into an ink jet printer. When separate ink cartridges are provided for individual colors, a pressing force of about 4.9 to 6.9 N is sufficient. However, for an ink cartridge unit of a single package type wherein ink cartridges for a plurality of colors are integrally formed, since a plurality of needles are provided, a very large pressing, which is plural times as large as 4.9 to 6.9 N, is required. Such a large pressing force can be exerted so long as the ink cartridge is loaded vertically; however, when the ink cartridge is to be slid in a direction other than the vertical direction during the loading process, an unnatural force is also imposed on the ink jet printer. Thus, the application of such a large pressing force is practically impossible.
Disclosed in patent document 1 is an ink cartridge attachment/detachment device that employs the principle of the lever to obtain a large pressing force. According to this device, the rotation of a cartridge attachment/detachment lever is transmitted to a link plate to enable the unlocking of a link lever and the loading of an ink cartridge into a holder. However, this device is one developed for the loading of ink cartridges for individual colors, and does not provide the large pressing force required to cope with an ink cartridge unit of a single package type wherein ink cartridges for a plurality of colors are integrally formed. Further, if a cartridge attachment/detachment lever and a link plate provided for each of the color ink cartridges, the number of parts would be increased, and accordingly, the costs for parts would be higher.
Further, a cartridge that is being loaded, or has been loaded, is always subjected to another force for returning the ink cartridge from a flow path member that is connected to the ink cartridge. Therefore, to maintain the loaded state, the pressing force for loading the ink cartridge must be greater than this other force. Otherwise, a gap would appear between the ink cartridge and the flow path member, and contact points provided for the ink cartridge and the flow path member would be shifted, making it impossible to detect the amount of ink remaining. Furthermore, a positional shifting of the contact points may also occur due to variances in the size tolerances for the parts. However, a configuration that will provide such a large pressing force and maintain a closed contact state is not disclosed in patent document 1.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-11-157094
To resolve these problems, it is one objective of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge attachment/detachment device wherein, even when an ink cartridge unit of a single package type, for which a plurality of color ink cartridges are integrally formed, is employed (i.e. even when an ink cartridge containing different types of ink therein is employed), very little power is required to produce and apply a large pressing force to securely load the ink cartridge, so that, while the ink cartridge can be easily removed, position shifting of the loaded ink cartridge does not occur, and to provide a recording apparatus comprising this attachment/detachment device.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a liquid container that can be easily fixed to a attachment/detachment device even when large pressing force is required for loading.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a liquid container that can be easily removed from a attachment/detachment device even when large pressing force is required for loading.